Cleveland County, Arkansas

Cleveland County Education, Geography, and History

Cleveland County (formerly Dorsey County) is a county located in the state of Arkansas. The county population was 8,689 at the 2010 US census. Cleveland County was formed April 17, 1873. The county seat is Rison. Cleveland county is named for Stephen Grover Cleveland, the twenty-second and twenty-fourth president of the United States.

Cleveland County is included in the Pine Bluff, AR Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Little Rock-North Little Rock, AR Combined Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Cleveland County Name

Cleveland county is named for Stephen Grover Cleveland, the twenty-second and twenty-fourth president of the United States. Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 - June 24, 1908) was both the twenty-second and twenty-fourth President of the United States. Cleveland is the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms (1885-1889 and 1893-1897) and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents. He was the winner of the popular vote for President three times- in 1884, 1888, and 1892- and was the only Democrat elected to the Presidency in the era of Republican political domination that lasted from 1860 to 1912. Cleveland's admirers praise him for his honesty, independence, integrity, and commitment to the principles of classical liberalism. As a leader of the Bourbon Democrats, he opposed imperialism, taxes, subsidies and inflationary policies, but as a reformer he also worked against corruption, patronage, and bossism.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Cleveland County History

Cleveland county was created in April 17, 1873, and was originally called Dorsey County, named for Stephen W. Dorsey, a US Senator from Arkansas, who later fell out of favor with Arkansans. Citizens petitioned for a change of name and in 1885. The county was renamed Cleveland County in honor of Grover Cleveland, who had just been elected president of the United States. The county seat is Rison. Timber is the leading industry in the county. The Saline River was used for shipping logs before the railroads came to the county in 1881. The county has extended its economic base to produce tomatoes, broiler chicks and cattle. Rison is at the center of an estimated 15-by-6 mile iron deposit containing as much as 42% magnetite. The Saline River, a scenic river, runs through the county that also provides excellent fishing and floating. The courthouse represents an outstanding courthouse restoration and is listed on the National Register. On the courthouse lawn stands a memorial to veterans of the First and Second World Wars.

The Battle of Mark's Mills, the pivotal engagement in the Union Army's ill-fated Camden Expedition during the US Civil War, took place in what is now Cleveland County. This engagement resulted in a crushing victory for Confederate forces, though the victory ultimately proved to be hollow when Federal General Frederick Steele and the rest of his army managed to escape from Camden to Little Rock.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 599 square miles (1,550 km²), of which 598 square miles (1,550 km²) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²) (0.2%) is water.

Cleveland county consists of rolling hills. The Saline River, a scenic river, runs through the county that also provides excellent fishing and floating.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Northeast: Jefferson County
• East: Lincoln County
• Southeast: Drew County
• South: Bradley County
• Southwest: Calhoun County
• West: Dallas County
• Northwest: Grant County

Education

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